The truest test of a star football player is not what he does on the field in between the lines, it’s what happens away from the stadium on the practice field or in the meeting room.

Lee is in the midst of its longest losing streak since the winless 1969 season, but through all of the losses, both blowouts and close, the change at quarterback and the struggles of the defense, Aron Dobbins has tried to be that steady leader.

Dobbins’ notoriety is something that as the running back at Lee High School comes with the territory. It’s a position that is one of the most well known in West Texas football, and he’s certainly made his mark over the last two years as he’s vaulted into the top seven on the school’s all-time rushing list.

But this season, Dobbins has made sure he’s doing more than just running hard and gaining yards. He’s leading while the team is down and trying to keep things positive even in the face of recent struggles, and he’s hoping to help Lee break that losing streak as they take on Abilene High at 7:30 p.m. today at Grande Communications Stadium.

“He’s kept a positive attitude through this whole season,” said Lee senior center Griffin Quintero. “Whenever something bad happens, he’s always on the sidelines getting us back up. He’s talking to the receivers, he’s talking to the quarterback, the offensive line, the defense. There’s no limitations on leadership on the team and it’s a big deal for us to see that.”

Dobbins is a three-year varsity player at Lee who took the starting job last year but didn’t rack up the yards because of the Rebels’ pass-heavy attack. He finished the season with 1,025 yards .

This season, though, he knew that his legs would be important to the Rebels’ success this season.

And he’s delivered.

Dobbins has rushed for 100 or more yards in six of Lee’s seven games and his 1,059 yards this season gives him 2,318 yards for his career and moved him to seventh on Lee’s star-studded all-time rushing list.

The numbers are fine with him but this season Dobbins has had to make sure that he continues to practice hard and provide the leadership that’s expected of a senior.

“I feel like everybody looks at me already,” Dobbins said. “If I forget about our loss and keep on keeping on, nine times out of 10 at least some of them are going to do the same thing. The more people we can get to forget about it and keep on doing their thing, hopefully that will carry over to the whole team.”

Dobbins’ ability to run with the ball comes naturally as his father, Luther, was a running back at the University of Minnesota, and also spent nearly 20 years coaching football.

Dobbins admits his father can be tougher on him after good games than poor games, but Aron said his father’s advice through all of this has been to keep being a leader and keep playing hard.

And Aron has done that, and it’s something that is not lost on those around him and the coaches who see him every day in practice.

“He’s been critical for us,” Lee head coach James Morton said. “It’s really gratifying to see a guy like Aron that has great ability to start seeing the bigger picture and how you can influence a team.”

Dobbins said he doesn’t feel pressure of being the running back at Lee, but he does want to find a way to forge his own legacy in maroon and white. But in typical Dobbins fashion how he wants to be remembered has little to do with how many yards he gains.

“As a leader, and not just a decent running back that came through here,” Dobbins said. “I want someone to look at that guy and see that he works his butt off, and talks the talk and walks the walk.”

Follow Len on Twitter: @Len_Hayward_MRT

Lee Career Rushing Yards List

Player Years Yards

Cedric Benson 1998-2000 8,423

Farris Strambler 1987-89 4,026

Josh Norman 1995-97 3,809

Trent Hines 2003-05 3,781

Walter Jones 1983-84 2,605

Jeff McGowan 1976-78 2,529

Aron Dobbins 2012-14 2,318

Jason McAfee 2011-12 2,121

Isaac Garnett 1982-83 2,195

Joe Woodard 1985-87 2,055

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ABILENE HIGH AT LEE

When/where: 7:30 p.m. today, Grande Communications Stadium

On the air: KCRS, 550 AM; KZQQ, 1560 AM, Abilene

Records: Lee 1-6, 0-2 in District 3-6A; Abilene High 5-2, 1-1

Last game: Odessa High 21, Lee 10; Abilene High 30, Odessa Permian 13

Last meeting/series: Lee won 53-51 in 2013; Lee leads overall series 30-21

Weather forecast: A temperature around 76 degrees is expected at kickoff with no chance of precipitation.

Five things you need to know

- Tonight’s game marks the 52nd meeting between these two schools and Abilene High has dominated this series since 2001. Since that year, Abilene High has won nine of 12 games, including seven straight from 2004-2012.

- Lee is on its longest losing streak as a program since 1969 with six straight losses.

- The Eagles suffered a blow last week when sophomore running back Abram Smith left the game with a knee injury that could keep him out for at least the rest of the regular season. Smith rushed for 915 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, averaging just over 7 yards a carry. Abilene High coach Steve Warren said that they will do running back “by committee” this week. The Eagles’ second-leading rusher is quarterback Derek Scott, who has 284 yards and four touchdowns this season.

- The Rebels lost offensive lineman Mark Pena for at least a week because an ankle injury. Also, Lee coach James Morton said that junior tight end Kaleb Nunez is about “80 percent” as he comes back from a hip injury suffered against Odessa Permian.

- The Eagles offense is averaging 430 yards a game this season and teams are averaging 323 yards against them this season. QB Scott has thrown for 1,587 yards and 15 touchdowns and his top receiver is Reese Childress, who has 70 catches for 810 yards and six touchdowns.